Monday, December 1, 2008

I may spew piss and vinegar at times, but I love Christmas. I loved it as a kid, I started to fall out of love with it as an adult, (mostly due to the retail prostitution of the season) but I have begun to fall back in love with Christmas through the eyes and hearts of my children.

Now, we get the decorations up the day after Thanksgiving, and painfully take them down on New Year's Day. (pending degree of hangover)

For any of you eager beavers like us out there, here's your chance to tell me about holiday things you love...I'll put a Mr. Linky below so you can let me know you have posted something for us to see/hear about...feel free to post any time time this week...I'll come find you!

So here is what we cant live without...

First off, outdoor lights...love to put them up, and they make you feel like you're coming home to the holidays every time you hit your driveway. Yes, that's a red arrow on the lawn...you know, so Santa knows to visit early and often...get it? My wife thinks the big tree in front looks a bit silly since I cant get the lights any higher...and I think she's right...any thoughts on what I should do?

Next, the tree...a big 9ft prelit number we got at Costco...some years a real one, but mostly with young kids we stick to this beauty, and it has served us well.

Note the star...just a $20 Target topper, but we've loved it for years even though it is fairly heavy and always takes some rigging to avoid the Charlie Brown effect.

An eclectic variety of ornaments...from the elegant to the silly...something from every year.

The Kissing Ball...given to us by a wonderful friend Michelle, always one of the first things we put up, and yet it doesn't get enough use..gonna have to remedy that this year.

Lighted garland on the stairs...my wife's job, and she always does it well...one of my favorite accents to the house.

Stockings from Pottery Barn...I'd rather not think about where these originated from in our house, and I won't share the tale...that's a PnV post for a different time...but we do love these stockings, held up by heavy silver hangers on the mantle. My son pulled one down on top of himself tonight. No injury. Lesson learned cheaply.

Finally, this is the item that is most unique to our home...the Santa Wish List chalk board. My wife and I found it in a "millionaire" store (no, we are not) and after leaving without purchasing it, I later returned to get it for her as a surprise. The kids draw on it, and we try to keep it safe during the year, but we keep damaging Santa's damn nose.

So, behold Mr. Linky. If you would like to share some of your prized holiday bling, fill out a Linky and let us see! We are dying to one-up you with one more trip to Macys.

Your decorations are gorgeous and I love the Santa chalkboard. We put up our measly little 4 foot tree that we go when the kiddos were born. Someday we will return to the days of real trees that scrape the ceiling. At least I can dream.

Good job on the decorations and on surprising your wife with the chalkboard. You rock!

Great decorations! We did our decorations and I'm working on a post about our Christmas tree but won't have it up until Friday. Can I come back and link to it then? Until then, I posted a link to some really cool Christmas light photos we took with my hubby's new digital SLR. I swear they came straight from the camera and were not Photoshopped in any way.

Wow you get a fancy! love your decorations. I love Christmas trees all dressed up but I was always the one seeking off trying to avoid the family even of decorating the tree. I just didn't like five people all elbowing each other to try to but a few Christmas bulbs on a the same time. but I do love Christmas.

We have been talking about getting everything decorated...but our grabby hands 1 yo is giving me second thoughts. I will say that looking at your pics makes me want to get my house all light up and beautiful! Thanks for sharing...I enjoyed the storied behind the items too.

Wow! Absolutely stunning decorated home! I too have come back around to enjoying Christmas. Having our special needs son in the hospital over Christmas didn't help. Now that he's older and healthier the joy is returning, particularly since he's enjoying the lights and whatnot of the season.

To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded.- Emerson